ABSTRACT-Isolated dog splenic arteries were perfused with Krebs-Henseleit solution at 37°C, using the cannula inserting method. Periarterial nerve electrical stimulation (10-V amplitude; 1-ms duration; 30-s trains of pulses; 1, 4 and 10 Hz) readily caused double peaked vasoconstrictions, i.e., 1st peaked response was mostly inhibited by a,b -methylene ATP and the 2nd one, by prazosin. These responses were consistently inhibited by w -conotoxin GVIA (w -CTX), whereas they were facilitated by BIIE 0246, a neuropeptide Y (NPY) Y 2 -receptor antagonist. The w -CTX-induced blocking effects of transmitter release were significantly antagonized by BIIE 0246. It is possible that the NPY Y 2 receptor activity may partially be linked to presynaptic Ca 2+ channels.Keywords: Dog splenic artery, Perivascular nerve electrical stimulation, a -Adrenoceptor It has been well recognized that neuropeptide Y (NPY) presynaptically inhibits a release of neurotransmitters via activation of NPY Y 2 receptors, whereas NPY postsynaptically facilitates transmitter-induced effect via Y1 receptors in the rat vas deferens and in the dog splenic artery (1 -6). Previously, we demonstrated in the isolated canine splenic artery that double peaked responses (two phases of the vasoconstriction) were consistently induced by periarterial nerve electrical stimulation (PNS) with the condition of 30-s trains of pulses at 10-V amplitude, 1-ms duration in a frequency-related manner; i.e., the 1st phase response might mainly contain a purinergic component and the 2nd response, mostly an adrenergic one (7,8). The inhibition of the double-peaked responses by NPY Y2-receptoractivation seems to be different from that by tetrodotoxin (TTX), a potent sodium inward current inhibitor, because the double-peaked vasoconstrictions were inhibited in parallel by Y 2 receptor activation, but TTX blocked only the 2nd peaked one in a small dose (4, 9). On the other hand, an N-type Ca 2+ channel antagonist, w -conotoxin GVIA (w -CTX), which specifically blocks N-type Ca 2+ channels, caused a parallel inhibition of the double-peaked vasoconstrictions (10). The Ca 2+ entry through neuronal Ca 2+ channels is a key step in neurotransmitter release, and the cellular mechanisms that regulate the activities of presynaptic Ca 2+ channels are still widely investigated (11). Thus, we considered that Y 2 receptor-activated inhibitory effects may be related to presynaptic regulating mechanisms of Ca 2+ channels. In the present study, we made an attempt to investigate the effects of a selective NPY Y2-receptor antagonist, BIIE 0246, on Ca 2+ channeldependent release of neurotransmitters.Mongrel dogs of either sex, weighing 12 to 15 kg, were anesthetized with sodium pentobarbital (30 mg /kg, i.v.). The heparinized dogs (200 units /kg, i.v.) were killed by rapid exsanguination from the right femoral artery. The main branches of the splenic artery were isolated, and side branches of the artery were tied with silk threads. Then, the artery (1 -1.2 mm in outer diameter) was cut into segmen...